Eddie Betts never met Lionel Rose. But when he heard that the final bell had sounded for the nation’s much-loved former world bantamweight boxing champion, he took it upon himself to ensure the moment would not be lost.

On Monday night, before taking to the field at Etihad Stadium, Betts called on his Indigenous contemporaries to answer the bell for Lionel. Joining him in donning black armbands, Jeff Garlett, Andrew Walker and Chris Yarran paid tribute to the man, who died after a long illness on Sunday at the age of 62.

“I believe it was important to do this,” Eddie said in the winner’s circle afterwards. “Lionel was one of the great Australian boxers, and one of the first Indigenous people to go overseas and beat his opponent on his home turf. So what we did was out of respect.”

Eddie noted that he had seen the recent documentary Rose, and was overwhelmed to see footage of more than 100,000 Melburnians turn out in tribute to the then 19 year-old, on his return from Tokyo after having defeated Fighting Harada in a 15-round points decision in February 1968.

He was also aware that Lionel, having been born and raised at Jacksons Track near the Victorian town of Warragul, spent his formative years in great hardship, and that he learned the pugilistic craft from his father, Roy.

It was said that Lionel "sparred with rags on his hands in a ring made from fencing wire stretched between trees" - a story not lost on Eddie either. As he said: “Lionel came from nothing to be an Australian superstar, and me and the boys all look up to him”.